Bank Screening Research Articles

Identification of the Candidate mGlu2 Allosteric Modulator THRX-195518 through In Silico Method and Evaluation of Its Neuroprotective Potential against Glutamate-Induced Neurotoxicity in SH-SY5Y Cell Line.

Glutamate (Glu) toxicity has been an important research topic in toxicology and neuroscience studies. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown that Group II metabotropic Glu2 (mGlu2) activators have cell viability effects. This study aims to determine a candidate ligand with high mGlu2 allosteric region activity among cytotoxicity-safe molecules using the in silico positioning method and to evaluate its cell viability effect in vitro. We investigated the candidate molecule's cell viability effect on the SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cell line by MTT analysis. In the study, LY 379268 (agonist) and JNJ-46281222 (positive allosteric modulator; PAM) were used as control reference molecules. Drug bank screening yielded THRX-195518 (docking score being -12.4 kcal/mol) as a potential novel drug candidate that has a high docking score and has not been mentioned in the literature so far. The orthosteric agonist LY 379268 exhibited a robust protective effect in our study. Additionally, our findings demonstrate that JNJ-46281222 and THRX-195518, identified as activating the mGlu2 allosteric region through in silico methods, preserve cell viability against Glu toxicity. Therefore, our study not only emphasizes the positive effects of this compound on cell viability against Glu toxicity but also sheds light on the potential of THRX-195518, acting as a mGlu2 PAM, based on in silico absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) data, as a candidate drug molecule. These findings underscore the potential utility of THRX-195518 against both neurotoxicity and Central Nervous System (CNS) disorders, providing valuable insights.

Global prevalence of post-abortion depression: systematic review and Meta-analysis

BackgroundDepression after abortion is a common problem for all women of reproductive age. However, there are not any data on post-abortion depression at a global level. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to find out the global prevalence of post-abortion depression.MethodsThe present study involved a comprehensive search of several databases, including Science Direct, Scopus, EMBSE, Google Scholar, and PubMed. The search was conducted between February 1, 2023, and March 10, 2023. The data was extracted using Microsoft Excel (version 14) and analyzed using STATA statistical software. To evaluate publication bias, a forest plot, Begg’s test, and Egger’s test were employed. Heterogeneity was assessed using I2, and a pooled estimated analysis was conducted. Additionally, subgroup analysis was performed based on the study continent/region, World Bank income group, screening instrument, and study design.ResultsThis analysis included 15 papers with a total of 18,207 research participants out of a total of 657 articles. The overall pooled prevalence of post-abortion depression was found to be 34.5% (95% CI: 23.34, 45.68), with an I2 value of 71.6%. The prevalence of post-abortion depression varied based on geographic location, World Health Organization (WHO) regions, World Bank income category, screening approach, and study design. The highest proportion of post-abortion depression was observed in Asia (37.5%), while the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean region had the greatest rate of post-abortion depression (43.1%). Lower-middle-income countries had the highest frequency of post-abortion depression (42.91%) based on World Bank economic classification. The Center of Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale was found to have the highest incidence of reported depression prevalence (30%) across diagnostic tools. Furthermore, the prevalence of depression was higher in cross-sectional study designs (36.42%) compared to cohort studies (22.7%).ConclusionIn conclusion, the occurrence of post-abortion depression has been observed to be widespread globally. The prevalence of post-abortion is found to be influenced by several factors, including the methodology employed in the study, the diagnostic tool utilized, the geographical location, and the socioeconomic status of the population. Healthcare providers should prioritize the provision of post-abortion counseling, care, and emotional support to women.

Political business cycle and bank liquidity creation in Ghana: the role of financial sector transparency

ABSTRACT This study examines how financial sector transparency (FST) administered through credit information sharing helps reduce the BLC growth induced by PBC in an emerging economy in Africa. The study employs twenty-seven 27 banks in Ghana over three (3) different political election cycles between 2006 and 2016. The results are estimated using robust random effect panel models with technological and year effect controls. The results shows that (i) PBC increases liquidity creation by banks, (ii) FST administered through credit information sharing encourages BLC, (iii) the joint term of PBC and FST yields a negative synergetic effect on BLC and (iv) promoting FST dampens the growth in liquidity creation induced by PBC in Ghana. These results imply that bank managers, regulators and policymakers must be mindful of liquidity creation especially during election periods since it can lead to soaring credit defaults and losses. Also, FST can be used as tool for suppressing growth in liquidity creation induced through PBC by help banks screen out bad political dealings and politicians.

Computer-aided anti-cancer drug discovery of EGFR protein based on virtual screening of drug bank, ADMET, docking, DFT and molecular dynamic simulation studies

Numerous malignancies, including breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, and chronic myeloid leukemia, are brought on by aberrant tyrosine kinase signaling. Since the current chemotherapeutic medicines are toxic, there is a great need and demand from cancer patients to find novel chemicals that are toxic-free or have low toxicity and that can kill tumor cells and stop their growth. This work describes the in-silico examination of substances from the drug bank as EGFR inhibitors. Firstly, drug-bank was screened using the pharmacophore technique to select the ligands and Erlotinib (DB00530) was used as matrix compound. The selected ligands were screened using ADMET and the hit compounds were subjected to docking. The lead compound from the docking was subjected to DFT and MD simulation study. Using the pharmacophore technique, 23 compounds were found through virtual drug bank screening. One hit molecule from the ADMET prediction was the subject of docking study. According to the findings, DB03365 molecule fits to the EGFR active site by several hydrogen bonding interactions with amino acids. Furthermore, DFT analysis revealed high reactivity for DB03365 compound in the binding pocket of the target protein, based on ELUMO, EHOMO and band energy gap. Furthermore, MD simulations for 100 ns revealed that the ligand interactions with the residues of EGFR protein were part of the essential residues for structural stability and functionality. However, DB03365 was a promising lead molecule that outperformed the reference compound in terms of performance and in-vitro and in-vivo experiments needs to validate the study. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

Collateral and bank screening as complements: A spillover effect

I analyze a novel spillover effect from collateralized to uncollateralized loans. High-type borrowers have good projects, while low-type borrowers do not know their project quality. High-type borrowers post collateral, and a monopolist bank screens only low-type borrowers' projects. Different from existing models, equilibrium collateral requirements are stricter than the minimum necessary to achieve separation, even if collateral is costly. When high-type borrowers post more collateral, the bank charges a higher interest rate to low-type borrowers. This, in turn, enhances the bank's incentives to screen the low-types' projects, thereby improving the average quality of uncollateralized loans.

The hazards of delivering a public loan guarantee scheme: An analysis of borrower and lender characteristics

Using data between 2009 and 2020, we provide a detailed description of the borrowers within the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) loan portfolio, analyse time to default and how it differs across lender types. For limited companies, we match additional financial and non-financial data from public and proprietary databases and profile the characteristics of EFG companies within the population of limited companies. Employing hazard models we find loans granted to unincorporated businesses by the medium-sized financial institutions are associated with a much lower hazard than those provided by smaller local lending institutions and not-for-profit agencies. Moreover, we find some evidence that loans to limited companies, issued by the big UK banking groups, have a significantly lower default than those from medium-sized financial institutions. Large banks screen out high-risk firms. We argue that smaller lenders are able to price the risks rejected by the larger banks, using a wider range of credit information. JEL codes: G01, G21, L52, D25

Case Report: Fuchs Dystrophy after Corneal Transplantation

Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy (FECD) consists of a progressive loss of corneal endothelial cells, with subsequent development of subepithelial connective tissue objectively leading to severely impaired vision. Generally, the time interval between the asymptomatic stage, with only the presence of guttates on biomicroscopy, to the most advanced stage, associated with chronic edema that causes corneal opacity and scarring, can vary between 20 to 30 years of evolution. Eye bank donor cornea selection includes FECD screening based on macroscopic and specular microscopyfindings. However, this screening may not be sensible enough to detect the disease in its earlier stages. We report 2 cases of FECD in corneal grafts in which the donor corneas eye bank screening was negative for FECD. These two cases highlight the importance of a meticulous evaluation of donor corneas candidates for corneal transplant. Traditional evaluation was not sensible enough to detect early phases of FECD. Additional screening methods, such as genetic testing, would improve the accuracy to detect FECD and other diseases present in donor corneas used in corneal transplants.

Leishmania infantum (syn. Leishmania chagasi) detection in blood donors living in an endemic area.

Human visceral leishmaniasis (HVL) is a neglected disease that occurs in 98 countries on five continents, and it is endemic in tropical and subtropical regions. In South America, the etiological agent of HVL is Leishmania infantum (syn. Leishmania chagasi), mainly transmitted through the bite of an infected sandfly female from the genus Lutzomyia. In American HVL endemic areas, the occurrence of asymptomatic infection is common, which contributes to the possibility of L. infantum transmission during a blood transfusion. To know the prevalence of L. infantum asymptomatic infection in blood donors from the microregion of Adamantina, we investigated 324 peripheral blood samples from donors through immunofluorescence (IFAT) and PCR-RFLP techniques. Seven blood samples (2.16%) tested positive for Leishmania by IFAT, and from those, six presented positive results by PCR (85.71%), which were later identified as L. infantum by RFLP. The presence of L. infantum in the peripheral blood of blood donors supported the hypothesis of transmission by blood transfusion and points to the need to include tests for visceral leishmaniasis in blood bank screening tests and pre-storage measures, especially in endemic areas to prevent the exponential increase of HVL by blood transfusion.

CEO compensation and bank loan contracts

This paper studies the relationship between bank CEO inside debt holdings and banks’ syndicated loan decisions. Using a two-stage selection model, we find that banks with higher CEO inside debt holdings extend syndicated loans to safer borrowers and have a smaller number of lenders in the syndication; these loans have a lower spread, less restrictive covenant, and longer maturity. These results suggest higher bank screening efforts and lower risk-taking incentives associated with bank CEO inside debt. The findings are robust to potential endogeneity bias and simultaneity of various loan terms.

Current and Emerging Laboratory Techniques for Malaria Diagnosis

Effective diagnostic methods must continue to be developed due to the effects of malaria on world health. Malaria is an infectious disease spread by mosquitoes that affects both people and other animals. It is the product of Plasmodium parasites, which are transmitted through bites from infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. Other sporozoan species responsible for malaria infections include the sporozoan parasites Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium malaria, and Plasmodium knowlesi. Routine diagnosis of malaria is impeded in areas where the disease is endemic by technical and infrastructure issues with laboratories. Prompt and accurate diagnosis is essential since good disease management is one of the primary actions of the Global Malaria Control Strategy. Accurate malaria detection is also crucial in order to inform malaria control efforts through epidemiologic screening and surveillance, for research reasons to evaluate the effectiveness of antimalarial medications and vaccines, and for blood bank screening. This study's main goal is to show some of the new and effective ways to diagnose malaria that go beyond the gold standard, light microscopy, which has some problems.

Financial Performance of Islamic and Conventional Banks in Qatar: A ‎Comparative Analysis

The goal of bank performance evaluation is to guarantee that they efficiently ‎utilize resources. Financial performance analysis is a critical tool for recognizing ‎the bank's weaknesses and strengths across its numerous activities. The CAMELS ‎technique is regarded as a supervisory tool to evaluate bank performance based on ‎several aspects, according to the literature review. Regulators use on-site and off-‎site monitoring tools to assess a bank's financial stability. The CAMELS rating ‎system encourages transparency, evolution, and change in all financial ‎institutions. Furthermore, this method identifies the structural strengths and ‎weaknesses of financial organizations. This study conducts a comparative analysis ‎of Islamic and conventional banks in Qatar using the CAMELS rating scale from ‎‎2015 to 2020. We used a sample of 14 banks in Qatar, four of which were Islamic ‎while the others were conventional. The findings indicate that Islamic banks ‎showcase superior performance in Qatar while outperforming their conventional ‎counterparts in many variables. However, none of the banks in Qatar could obtain ‎a rating of 1, indicating areas of weaknesses that need to be worked on, particularly ‎in the area of liquidity, which was a critical factor for all banks. According to this ‎study, the Qatar Central Bank should improve the monitoring and screening of all ‎Islamic banks in Qatar. Furthermore, it is suggested that the Qatar central bank ‎employs the CAMELS system to track operations and field offices for banks ‎functioning to facilitate regular access to a stable banking sector. Banks can use ‎CAMELS to track their performance, and the necessary actions must be ‎undertaken.‎

Mining anion-aromatic interactions in the Protein Data Bank.

Mutual positioning and non-covalent interactions in anion–aromatic motifs are crucial for functional performance of biological systems. In this context, regular, comprehensive Protein Data Bank (PDB) screening that involves various scientific points of view and individual critical analysis is of utmost importance. Analysis of anions in spheres with radii of 5 Å around all 5- and 6-membered aromatic rings allowed us to distinguish 555 259 unique anion–aromatic motifs, including 92 660 structures out of the 171 588 structural files in the PDB. The use of a scarcely exploited (x, h) coordinate system led to (i) identification of three separate areas of motif accumulation: A – over the ring, B – over the ring-substituent bonds, and C – roughly in the plane of the aromatic ring, and (ii) unprecedented simultaneous comparative description of various anion–aromatic motifs located in these areas. Of the various residues considered, i.e. aminoacids, nucleotides, and ligands, the latter two exhibited a considerable tendency to locate in region Avia archetypal anion–π contacts. The applied model not only enabled statistical quantitative analysis of space around the ring, but also enabled discussion of local intermolecular arrangements, as well as detailed sequence and secondary structure analysis, e.g. anion–π interactions in the GNRA tetraloop in RNA and protein helical structures. As a purely practical issue of this work, the new code source for the PDB research was produced, tested and made freely available at https://github.com/chemiczny/PDB_supramolecular_search.

Does IT Help? Information Technology in Banking and Entrepreneurship

This paper analyzes the importance of information technology (IT) in banking for entrepreneurship. To guide our empirical analysis, we build a parsimonious model of bank screening and lending that predicts that IT in banking can spur entrepreneurship by making it easier for startups to borrow against collateral. We provide empirical evidence that job creation by young firms is stronger in US counties that are more exposed to ITintensive banks. Consistent with a strengthened collateral lending channel for IT banks, entrepreneurship increases more in IT-exposed counties when house prices rise. In line with the model's implications, IT in banking increases startup activity without diminishing startup quality and it also weakens the importance of geographical distance between borrowers and lenders. These results suggest that banks' IT adoption can increase dynamism and productivity.

Does IT Help? Information Technology in Banking and Entrepreneurship

This paper analyzes the importance of information technology (IT) in banking for entrepreneurship. To guide our empirical analysis, we build a parsimonious model of bank screening and lending that predicts that IT in banking can spur entrepreneurship by making it easier for startups to borrow against collateral. We provide empirical evidence that job creation by young firms is stronger in US counties that are more exposed to ITintensive banks. Consistent with a strengthened collateral lending channel for IT banks, entrepreneurship increases more in IT-exposed counties when house prices rise. In line with the model's implications, IT in banking increases startup activity without diminishing startup quality and it also weakens the importance of geographical distance between borrowers and lenders. These results suggest that banks' IT adoption can increase dynamism and productivity.

Why are commercial loan rates so sticky? The effect of private information on loan spreads

Past studies find that commercial loan spreads are “sticky” in the sense that they do not fully respond to changes in open market rates or observable firm credit risk characteristics. In this paper, we provide evidence that the appearance of stickiness arises, in part, because the intensity of bank screening varies inversely with changes in both observable firm credit risk characteristics and credit market conditions. Our analysis demonstrates that stickiness in loan spreads does not necessarily indicate loan mispricing or misallocation of credit.

Actionable assessment of iron stores in blood donors

Before blood donation, blood banks screen potential donors for low hemoglobin or hematocrit, usually in blood drops obtained through finger prick. Although different technologies exist for this, including a couple of non-invasive systems, all detect anemia and prevent that anemic people give blood. However, a reasonable number of people bear sideropenia without anemia, and should not donate blood either. Nowadays, they do. To understand this issue better, to identify these invisible unfit blood donors, and to design cost-effective ways to detect and protect them, we evaluated erythrocyte zinc protoporphyrin and serum ferritin in a cohort of 315 blood donors. In addition, we evaluated the number of blood donors bearing iron overload, invisible as well among donors, and discuss the importance of the extension of blood banks as epidemiological surveillance centers for iron metabolism disorders.

Central bank screening, moral hazard, and the lender of last resort policy

This paper constructs a theoretical model to examine the LOLR policy when a central bank can imperfectly screen insolvent from solvent banks. We find that: (1) Central bank screening produces a “positive” stigma associated with central bank borrowing by punishing insolvent banks. (2) With central bank screening, the LOLR policy in fact reduces moral hazard rather than inducing it. (3) If the central bank can better identify solvent and insolvent banks when they apply for central bank loans, it will improve social welfare first by forcing the insolvent banks to efficiently liquidate their assets and second by deterring banks from choosing the risky assets to start with.

Collateral Menus, Bank Risk, and Profitability

What is the impact of a larger collateral menu on banks’ lending business? Using reforms which expanded the set of pledgeable assets in secured lending, we find heterogeneous effects in the cross-section of banks. Smaller banks have safer loans and earn a lower risk-adjusted net interest income following the reforms, after controlling for lending volume; a fall in their operating costs offsets the negative effect. Larger banks increase lending volume. No existing theory explains all our empirical findings simultaneously. To guide our empirical analysis, we present an adverse selection model of lending in which collateral substitutes bank screening.

Maintaining human milk bank services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic: A global response.

If maternal milk is unavailable, the World Health Organization recommends that the first alternative should be pasteurised donor human milk (DHM). Human milk banks (HMBs) screen and recruit milk donors, and DHM principally feeds very low birth weight babies, reducing the risk of complications and supporting maternal breastfeeding where used alongside optimal lactation support. The COVID‐19 pandemic has presented a range of challenges to HMBs worldwide. This study aimed to understand the impacts of the pandemic on HMB services and develop initial guidance regarding risk limitation. A Virtual Collaborative Network (VCN) comprising over 80 HMB leaders from 36 countries was formed in March 2020 and included academics and nongovernmental organisations. Individual milk banks, national networks and regional associations submitted data regarding the number of HMBs, volume of DHM produced and number of recipients in each global region. Estimates were calculated in the context of missing or incomplete data. Through open‐ended questioning, the experiences of milk banks from each country in the first 2 months of the pandemic were collected and major themes identified. According to data collected from 446 individual HMBs, more than 800,000 infants receive DHM worldwide each year. Seven pandemic‐related specific vulnerabilities to service provision were identified, including sufficient donors, prescreening disruption, DHM availability, logistics, communication, safe handling and contingency planning, which were highly context‐dependent. The VCN now plans a formal consensus approach to the optimal response of HMBs to new pathogens using crowdsourced data, enabling the benchmarking of future strategies to support DHM access and neonatal health in future emergencies.

How does greater bank competition affect borrower screening? Evidence from China's WTO entry

We analyze the relationship between greater bank competition and the screening of potential borrowers. Using a large sample of Chinese private firms and China's entry into the WTO as a unique setting leading to greater bank competition, we find the following. First, the sensitivity of bank credit to prior borrowing-firm performance increases after China's WTO entry. This sensitivity increase is greater in more bank-dependent industries and smaller in Chinese regions with greater financial sector development. Second, the increase in the sensitivity of bank credit to firm performance is much greater for state-owned firms compared to private firms. Third, the effect of bank credit on subsequent firm productivity and performance is greater for loans given after China's WTO entry compared to those given prior to WTO entry. Overall, the results of our empirical analysis suggest that the stringency of bank screening of borrowers in China increased with greater banking sector competition.